The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-21
THE FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS
The House Continues the Debate on the
Cull0m Interstate Commerce Bill,
And an Arrangement Is Made Whereby Vote
on the Measure Will Be Taken at an
Early Stage of To- Days Proceedings.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2o-Mr. Cultivate, of
Ohio, from the committee on Pacific railroads
reported back the following resolution, which
was adopted
Resolved That the Secretary of the Treasury be
and is hereby requested to inform the House or hep
resentasiyes practicable, the sums OF money
which oing to the United States on the hrst Gay
of Janyi-T, 1887 from the Pacific railroads when
have received aid from the government In bonds CIV
ing the sums which DUE principal and interest
under existing law, severally and collectively from
said companies and what will be the result to the
rreasr and the effect upon these debts if the House
bill No. 1918 should become a law and It's provisions
be complied with.
The object of the committee id reporting the
resolution is to get the opinion of the Treasury
Department as to the effect of the passage of tie
House funding bill. In its report, the commit
tee says: There is legislation pending to secure
to the United States the payment of all the in
iebtedness Of the companies alluded to in the
resolution. No information can be obtained
from any reports of the Department as to
amounts owing to the government from the
companies for later than June 80, 1885, 1t is
very desirable, and almost necessary, that the
House be informed as to the true state OF their
accounts, brought down to as late a day as may
be mad in ord er that there may be a fair and in
telligent consideration of such measure. The
Judgment of the Secretary of the Treasury as to
Che effect and result of the provisions of the bill,
should it become law, is also greatly to De de-
sired. so that the House may have the same be-
fore il, previous to acting on the measure
In the morning hour. Mr. Martin, of Alabama,
on behalf of the committee patents, called up
Senate bill amending the law relative to pat
ents, trade marks and copyrights The Dill,
which was passed, provides that hereafter, dur
ing the term of letters patent for design it
shall be unlawful for any person other than the
owner of the letters patent, without the license
of the owner, to apply the design secured by
such letters patent or any colorado imitation
thereof, to any article of manufacture, for the
purpose of sale, to SELL or expose for sale any
article of manufacture to which design or
Ssolorable imitation shall. without the license of
the owner, have been applied, knowing that the
same has been SO applied.
Mr.. Conger, of Iowa, on behalf of the COM
mittee on invalid pensions, called up the bill in
creasing to $50 q month the rate of pension for
total deafness.
On motion of Mr. Cowles of North Carolina,
a proviso was added requiring that the deafness
shall have occurred from injuries received while
the pensoner was in the line of duty, but the
morning hour expired before final action was
taken the bill
The House then resumed consideration of the
conference report the interstate commerce
bill. BY unanimous consent. 1t was ordered that
session should be held might for discussion
Of the report; that at the end of that session the
previous question should be considered as or
dered, and that the vote on the adoption of the
report should be taken to morrow morning after
the reading of the journal.
Mr.. Caldwell, of Tennessee, supported the
compounds bill, not as q perfect code but as
ono which had In view the correction Of great
evils, and the defects in which would be revealed
vhen the law was put into operation, and would
then be susceptible Of remedy.
Mr.. Dibble, of South Carolina, favored the re-
committal of the bill to the conference commit
tee. His chief objection to the measure was d.
rected against what he considered the dangerous
xrht nh nnvfa 81 lie
sion in the matter of suspending the operations
OF the lorg and -short-hAul section. and which
permitted 1t to make fish of one and flesh of an
other.
Mr. Bragg, of Wisconsin, declared his opposi-
ton to the bill and his determination to vote
against it, A few years ago the legal-tonder de-
cision Of the Supreme Court had been reversed,
and public opinion said it had been reversed by
the vote of two justices appointed at the request
of certain railroad companies. Still later. public
opinion had 1t that large sums of money were
furnished to carry campaign in Indiana as the
price of an appointment He did not say that
opinion upon that point, but he did express the
opinion that il Congress assumed control of all
the railroad corporations in the United
States it would mass all the capital of the
railroad companies and make it factor
In federal elections. If Congress provided for
the appointment Of the persons who were to con-
strue this law. it would force railroad capital
into political canvass in order to secure the
election of a man who who would bend his knee
to the wishes Of the railroad companies. There
FORE he regarded the bill as a dangerous exer
else of power, and measure which, though il
might temporarily relieve the people in certain
respects, would ultimately hang milestone
around their necks by which they would b.
drowned in the deep sea. He opposed the bill
also, because it contained the long and-s short
haul feature That feature was not founded or
business principles, and for that reason il wa
rnwise legislation. It was opposed to the inter
ests of his constituents, and was deadly blow
at the great agricultural interests OF the North
west He was not to be driven from his posi-
ton by newspaper articles, or through fear o
being called the attorney for railroad companies
This thing had no sort of terror for him. 81
opposed the bill because he believed it to b.
wrong.
Mr.. Cutcheon, of Michigan. would vote for thu
bill, notwiths landing its defects and notwith
standing the fact that it attempted too much 70
first step. The present long short hau
system was based on sonnd business principles
and was not discrimination against the people
It furnished the meat and bread to the consume
At the Atlantic seaboard more cheaply an
brought larger compensation to the farmers Q
the great West
Mr.. Grosvenor, of Ohio, commented upon TIL
diversity Of opinion as to the Interpretation
which should be placed upon the provisions Q
she bill. The governments was about to SELF
s30, 900 miles of railroad and to turn them owe
TO an authority whose jurisdiction is not define
IN the statutes. and who would be called upo
TO construe an act which was uncertain as th
neptn OF the ocean. Inc Dill was DunGie
fDcongruities An omnipotent power tn
greatest interest in the country was to be hanG
ed over to five commissioners one of whose qua
Ecations was that they should know nothin
about the subject. 1t was provided that no NOR
than three members Of the commission shout
be appointed froma the same political party
How We're the other two to be appointedq Wa
shis clause put in to enable the President an
the Senate to declare whether the genus mus
Yump was separate political party only
Uarastical growth upon the body Of some othe
political party2
Mr.. Cutcheon suggested that 1t would /
worth something to aud that out
Mr.. Cgosvenor. continuing, called the after
ton Of the Democratic party-that party while
Always inveiehed against centralization-t Il
cAntraliaing tendency of the pending measur
Heretofore, had any party undertaken to gras
oil the interests Of the country and hand the